Manifolding machine



March 29", 1938. c. F. SCHMELZ 2 112,711

MANIFOLDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 51, 1935 Patented Mar. 29, 1938 UNI-TEDSTATES MANIFOLDING IVIACHINE Charles F. Schmelz, Bridgeport, Conn,assignor to Autographic Register Company, Hob-oken, N. J., a corporationof New Jersey Application January 31, 1935, Serial No. 5,027

12 Claims.

This invention relates to autographic registers, and more particularly,to the type of register in which a record copy is retained in a suitablecompartment provided for the purpose.

In the form of the invention herein disclosed, the invention is shown asapplied to a portable type register in which the record copies or slipsare stored in a record compartment located partially under the supplycompartment for the writing strips, and into which the slip-s are placedone after another as they are issued from the machine and torn off.

In such registers, the supply compartment as well as the recordcompartment are usually made sufficiently long to accommodate thelongest form or ticket which is used with the machine, but it is in manycases used with shorter forms than the maximum, thus, in most instances,leaving a considerable space in the supply and record compartments.

When the machine is a portable machine, that is to say, one which may becarried around and handled promiscuously and must be taken up in thehand to write the bill or ticket, the sup ply pad is free to shiftlongitudinally, with the result that the strips become disarranged andimproperly folded and creased.

An object of this invention is to provide means in the supplycompartment for holding supply pads which are shorter than the supplycompartment against shifting longitudinally in the supply compartment.

In the portable register disclosed in this application, the record slipsare inserted by hand one after another in the record compartment andcaused to be collated on pins fixed in the compartment, or on a binderremovably mounted in the compartment; and, to facilitate the propercollation of the record slips on these pins, the record compartment has,heretofore, been provided with an end stop limiting the movement anddetermining the position of the record slips longitudinally in therecord compartment, but

an isolated end stop in the record compartment has, heretofore, beentroublesome because of its inaccessibility and because it was difiicultto set in just the right position.

A further object of this invention is to provide means whereby the endstop in the record compartment will be automatically located in properand desired position by the adjustment of the end stop in the supplycompartment.

This object of the invention is accomplished by connecting the two endstops together as a unit and offsetting them longitudinally of theregister by an amount equal to the oifset between the front end of thesupply pad, and the front wall of the supply compartment and the frontwall of the record compartment.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing, which shows several embodiments of thisinvention- Figure 1 is a plan view of the register with parts brokenaway to show the record compartment, the supply compartment, and therecord strips in the supply compartment.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l,and showing the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the end stops of the present inventionin the form thereof illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 shows an edge view of another embodiment of the present inventionand its relationship to the supply pad and record strips.

Fig. 5 is a similar view, but showing another form of this invention.

Fig. 6 is a similar view, but showing still another form of thisinvention.

As shown in the accompanying drawing, the register comprises a casing 10having a platen H and a marginal frame l2. Under the platen there is asupply compartment l3 in which there is supported a supply pad I4 ofzigzag folded superposed continuous record strips. Record form strips l5are led from the pad 14 over the rear end It of the platen and thenforwardly under the margin frame I2 and over the platen I l where theyare interleaved with suitable transfer material not shown. Beyond theplaten, the strips iii are normally engaged by pins H which hold thestrips in writing position on the platen. When it is desired to feed outa set of written forms, the pins ll are moved forwardly by means of ahandle l8 andby mechanism forming no part of this invention, so astoproject the leading ends it! of the strips beyond a tear-01f knife andpermit the strips to be grasped by hand and pulled out of the machineuntil the next set of apertures 2! on the strips is again engaged by thepins IT to intercept paper withdrawal and to limit the quantity of paperpulled out at one form length.

The register frame it has a partition or false bottom 22 which forms thebottom of an upper compartment and on which the record supply i4 issupported, and between the false bottom 22 and the bottom 23 there isformed a lower record-receiving and storing compartment 2d.

When the strips have been stopped by the pins it as above explained,they are torn ofi along the knife edge 20 and one of the resultingtickets is usually inserted in the record storing compartment 24 when adoor 25 at the projecting forward end of the record compartment opened.The record slips l5a, a quantity of which is shown in Fig. 2, are placedon pins 26 in the record compartment so as to hold them properlycollated, and to facilitate this, as pointed out above, the recordcompartment has heretofore been provided with an end stop in the form ofa plate or partition between the false bottom 22 and the bottom 23, sothat when the footedge of the record slip engaged this plate orpartition, the apertures 2| in the slip would be located over the pins26.

The adjustment of this plate or partition, because of the fact that itwas located deep in the narrow record compartment 24, was extremelydifficult to effect.

Further, as pointed out above, the supply compartment I3 is madesufficiently long to accommodate the supply pad M for the longest formwith which the machine may be used. Since the maximum length form isseldom used, the record pad in such machines, as heretofore provided,was free to shift longitudinally in the supply compartment and, beinglight and usually carried around by hand or in the pocket from placetoplace, was shifted back and forth in the supply compartment, with theresult that the pad became disarranged and the portion of the strips Hifrom the pad to the platen became undesirably folded and creased.

To avoid this, the present invention provides in the supply compartmentl3 an adjustable wall or end-stop device having its end stop 21 risingfrom the false bottom 22 and extending as close to the platen as isdesired. At its upper edge, it is provided with a roll 28 so that thestrips l may conveniently pass over it and between it and the platenwithout the risk of damage.

'In the broader aspects of this invention, this end stop 21 may beadjusted in any suitable manner to more or less loosely engage the rearend of the supply pad l4 when the front end thereof is engaged by a wall29 covering the pin mechanism and constituting the forward wall of thesupply compartment.

However, according to the present invention in its preferred form, theend stop 21 is joined to a downwardly-extending end stop 30 in therecordslip compartment, 24, and these end stops are spaced from eachother by a distance equal to the distance between the front wall 29 ofthe supply compartment and the front wall 3| of the record-slipcompartment, so that, when the end stop 21 is adjusted to fit the.particular length of supply pad I4 inserted in the machine, the end stop30 for the record compartment will also be properly positioned in thelatter.

This is accomplished, according to the present invention, by connectingthe end stop 21 for the supply compartment with the end stop 30 for therecord compartment by a bar 32, and preferably the end stop 21, bar 32,and end stop 36 are made as one integral piece, preferably Z-shaped asshown, and the false bottom 22 is provided with a slot 33 through whichthe bar 32 may extend from the supply compartment to the recordcompartment.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the bar 32 is for the most part locatedunder the false bottom 22 and has a pair of wings 34 extending from eachside and engaging the underside of the false bottom 22 at each side ofthe slot 33, so as to hold the end stop 21 against being raised from thefalse bottom 22. On the other hand, the end stop 21 itself extendsbeyond the slot 33 and rests on and is supported by the false bottom byits lower edge directly engaging the top of the same, so that, at thatend of the bar 32, the two parts are held against separation in eitherdirection, vertically.

From the wings 34, the bar 32 may extend upwardly and have the bentportion 35 thereof lying in the slot 33 so as to positively steadyagainst the bar 32 from skewing in a horizontal plane. The end stop 30is located directly under the portion 35 and at its bottom is providedwith a backwardly bent car 36 engaging the top of the bottom plate 23.The ear 36 is provided with a threaded hole 31 for receiving aclamp-screw 38 passing through a slot 39 in. the bottom plate, so that,

when the screw 38 is tightened, its head engages the margin of the slot39 and holds the end stop assembly shown in Fig. 3 against shiftinglongitudinally of the register.

To facilitate the insertion of the end stop unit in operative positionin the register, the false bottom 22 is. provided with slots 40 shown indotted lines in Fig. 1, through which the end stop 30 and the wings 34of the bar 32 may pass downwardly through the false bottom 22 and intothe record compartment. 7

After the assembly is inserted in place through the slots 40, it ismoved longitudinally in the slot 33 (more or less depending upon thelength of the pad M to be used with the register), the slots 40 being solocated that even if the smallest supply pad be used with the registerthe end stop unit must be moved longitudinally after being inserted.

In adjusting the end-stop unit, it is merely necessary to loosen thescrew 38 and push the end stop unit to the left as viewed in Fig. 2,then when the supply pad 14 is placed on the false bottom 33, the endstop unit is slid forwardly until it engages, or about engages, the rearedge of the pad, at which time the screw 38 is tightened. By doing this,the end stop 30 in the record compartment is automatically adjusted toproper position, for the longitudinal distance between the end stops 2'!and 3|) is substantially equal to that between the front wall 29 of thesupply compartment and the front wall 3| of the record compartment.

The end stop unit may be made in different ways, several of which areillustrated herein. For instance, as shown in Fig. 4, instead of havingthe plate 23 slotted and engaged by the clamping screw 38, the bottomplate 23 may be made solid as shown in Fig. 4, and a clamp-screw 4| maybe threaded in the bar 32. With this arrangement, after placing a washer42, or other element which will bridge the slot 33 in the false bottom,on the screw, the screw is tightened in a threaded hole in the bar 32 toclamp the end-stop unit to the false bottom 22.

The bottom of the end 30, instead of being bent rearwardly as shown inFig. 3, has a portion 43 bent forwardly so as to lie under a binder 44on which the record strips |5a are stacked and prevent the record stripsfrom passing between the lower edge of the end stop 30 and the bottom-Again, as shown in Fig. 6, the end-stop unit may be further modified soas to have the bar 32 lying on top of the bottom plate 23, in which casethe end stop 30 extends upwardly from the bar 32.

Other variations and modifications may be made within the scope of thisinvention'and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and forwhich it is desired to obtain Letters Patent, is:

1. A portable manifolding register having a supply compartment for azigzag folded pack of continuous record strips folded at ticket lengthintervals, and a record compartment for storing record tickets issuedfrom said supply compartment and severed from said record strips, eachof said compartments being longer than the length of a form; an end stopin the supply compartment for holding the supply pack againstlongitudinal movement in the supply compartment; an end stop in therecord compartment for determining the position of the tickets in therecord compartment; and means interconnecting said two end stops forcoordinate adjustable movement so that when one end stop is movedtoposition to accommodate a form of a particular length the other endstop will be moved to position to accommodate a form of that particularlength.

2. A manifolding machine having a frame divided horizontally to form asupply compartment for continuous record strips and below it a storagecompartment for record slips severed from one of said strips, one end ofsaid storage compartment projecting beyond the upper portion of theframe and having an entrance opening at the top of its projectingportion for receiving record slips inserted downwardly and inwardlytherein, the supply compartment and the storage compartment each havinga front wall and said front walls being ofi'set longitudinally; an endstop unit having an end stop in each of said compartments; and meansconnecting said end stops, said end stops being offset longitudinally bythe amount of the offset between the front wall of the supplycompartment and the front wall of the storage compartment.

3. A manifolding register comprising a frame having a horizontal falsebottom dividing said frame into an upper and a lower compartment, and anend-stop device guided for longitudinal movement on said false bottomand having one end stop extending upwardly into said upper compartment,and having also another end stop extending downwardly, into said lowercompartment, and means for clamping said device in a predeterminedposition longitudinally relatively to said frame.

4. A manifolding register comprising a frame having alongitudinally-slotted false bottom dividing said frame into an upperand a lower compartment, a longitudinally slotted bottom plate for thelower compartment, an end-stop device shiftable longitudinally andguided by the slot in the false bottom, and having end-stops extendingvertically in opposite directions into the upper and lower compartments,respectively, and means carried by said downward extension and passingthrough the slot in the bottom plate for clamping said end-stop deviceagainst accidental displace ment thereon.

5. A manifolding register comprising a casing having alongitudinally-slotted false bottom, an end-stop device consisting of abar guided for longitudinal shifting in said slot and a pair ofend-stops extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom, respectively, andmeans for clamping said device against shifting longitudinally in saidcasing.

6. A manifolding register comprising a casing having alongitudinally-slotted false bottom, an end-stop device consisting of abar guided for longitudinal shifting in said slot and a pair ofend-stops extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom, respectively, theend-stop at one end of the bar resting on said false bottom, and saidbar having side wings engaging the underside of said false bottom, forholding that end of the device against separation from said falsebottom, and means for clamping said device against shiftinglongitudinally in said casing.

'7. A manifolding register comprising a casing having alongitudinally-slotted false bottom, an end-stop device consisting of abar guided for longitudinal shifting in said slot and a pair ofend-stops extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom, respectively, theend-stop at one end of the bar resting on said false bottom, and saidbar having side wings engaging the underside of said false bottom, forholding that end of the device against separation from said falsebottom, and a clamp screw carried by said bar and extending through saidslot, for holding said device against shifting.

8. A manifolding register comprising a casing having a slotted falsebottom and a longitudinally-slotted bottom plate, and an end-stop devicehaving a bar resting on said false bottom, the ends of said bar having,respectively, upwardly and downwardly-extending end-stops, the latterpassing through said slot and having a returnbend portion resting onsaid bottom plate and provided with an ear guided in the slot of saidbottom plate, and a clamp screw for holding said return-bend and bottomplate together.

9. A manifolding register comprising a casing having alongitudinally-slotted false bottom, and a slotted bottom plate, and anend-stop device consisting of a bar resting upon said bottom plate, andhaving at its ends vertical end-stops, the forward end stop terminatingat the underside of said false bottom and projecting above the same, anda clamp screw passing through the slot in the bottom plate and engagingsaid bar for holding the device in position.

10. A manifolding machine having a frame divided to form a supplycompartment for continuous unwritten record strips and adjacent it astorage compartment for written portions of said slips; an end-stop unithaving an end-stop in each of said compartments, and means connectingsaid end-stops together; and means for securing said end-stop unitagainst casual movement.

11. A manifolding machine having a frame divided horizontally to form asupply compartment for continuous record strips and below it a storagecompartment for record slips severed from one of said strips; anend-stop in said supply compartment; and means extending into saidstorage compartment for controlling the position of said end-stop.

12. A manifolding machine having a frame divided horizontally to form asupply compartment for continuous record strips and below it a storagecompartment for record slips severed from one of said strips; anend-stop in the storage compartment; and means extending into the supplycompartment for controlling the position of said end-stop.

CHARLES F. SCI-HVIELZ.

